Compositions, Systems And Methods For Separating Ethanol From Water And Methods Of Making Compositions For Separating Ethanol From Water

ABSTRACT

Silicalite particles, methods of making silicalite particles, systems comprising silicalite particles and methods for using silicalite particles to separate ethanol from water.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Recent developments in the biofuel industry have related to the use ofgenetically enhanced microorganisms to make products such as ethanol,typically in dilute solutions with water. Various efforts and differentapproaches have been undertaken to efficiently separate ethanol fromwater and enrich the ethanol product.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,163,066 to Eisenberger concerns selectively moving avertically oriented carbon dioxide capture structure supporting an aminesorbent into and out of a regeneration enclosure in order to removecarbon dioxide from ambient air.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,491,705 to Choi et al. concerns capture of carbondioxide from ambient air using solid amine adsorbents tethered to asilica, metal oxide or polymer resin substrate through covalent bonding.

Zhang et al., “Adsorption of Water and Ethanol in MFI-Type Zeolites”,Langmuir 2012, 28, 8664-8673 concerns water and ethanol vapor adsorptionon MFI-type zeolites and discloses the preparation of silicalite-1(F⁻)in a fluoride-mediated route by hydrothermal synthesis adapted fromliterature procedures.

Gualtieri et al., “Seeded growth of TPA-MFI films using the fluorideroute”, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 111 (2008) 604-611 concernsthe preparation of TPA-MFI films on dense amorphous silica glasssupports using the fluoride route in combination with surface seeding.

A need exists for an improved sorbent that provides decreased wateruptake and enhanced selectivity of ethanol over water.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is a silicalite MFI particle having amean height or b-dimension of about 0.2 microns to about 10 microns, amean aspect ratio of about 5 to about 14, pore volume of less than about0.0025 cm³ per gram, water uptake of about 0.20 mmol per gram or less atan activity of 0.98 and 35° C., and selectivity for ethanol over waterof about 190 at an ethanol mole fraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phaseethanol/water mixture.

Another object of the present invention is a method for makingsilicalite MFI particles having a mean height or b-dimension of about0.2 microns to about 10 microns, a mean aspect ratio of about 5 to about14, pore volume of less than about 0.0025 cm³ per gram, water uptake ofabout 0.20 mmol per gram or less at an activity of 0.98 and 35° C., andselectivity for ethanol over water of about 190 at an ethanol molefraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phase ethanol/water mixture.

Another object of the present invention is a system for separatingethanol from water comprising silicalite MFI particles having a meanheight or b-dimension of about 0.2 microns to about 10 microns, a meanaspect ratio of about 5 to about 14, pore volume of less than about0.0025 cm³ per gram, water uptake of about 0.20 mmol per gram or less atan activity of 0.98 and 35° C., and selectivity for ethanol over waterof about 190 at an ethanol mole fraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phaseethanol/water mixture.

Another object of the present invention is a method for separatingethanol from water using silicalite MFI particles having a mean heightor b-dimension of about 0.2 microns to about 10 microns, a mean aspectratio of about 5 to about 14, pore volume of less than about 0.0025 cm³per gram, water uptake of about 0.20 mmol per gram or less at anactivity of 0.98 and 35° C., and selectivity for ethanol over water ofabout 190 at an ethanol mole fraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phaseethanol/water mixture.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention willbecome further apparent from the following detailed description of thepresently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merelyillustrative of the invention, rather than limiting the scope of theinvention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference tothe following figures.

FIG. 1 shows water uptake for silicalite particles made according to thepresent invention and selected silicalite particles made according tomethods known in the art.

FIGS. 2( a)-(e) show scanning electron microscope micrographs ofsilicalite particles made according to the present invention. FIG. 2( f)shows representational axes of silicalite particles made according tothe present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a plot of X-ray diffraction patterns for silicaliteparticles made according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a plot of ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra for silicalite particlesmade according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a plot of nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms forsilicalite particles made according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a plot of FT-IR spectra for silicalite particles madeaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a plot of pore size distribution for silicalite particlesmade according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a plot of water vapor adsorption at 35° C. for silicaliteparticles made according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a plot of measured water uptake at 95% and 35° C. activityfor silicalite particles made according to the present invention andestimated external monolayer water sorption as a function of ratio ofexternal surface area per gram of sample.

FIG. 10 shows a plot of measured water uptake at 95% and 35° C. activityfor silicalite particles made according to the present invention andestimated external monolayer water sorption as a function of ratio ofexternal surface area per gram of sample.

FIG. 11 shows a plot of water adsorption and desorption at 35° C. forsilicalite particles made according to the present invention.

FIGS. 12A-D show plots of IAST predictions for competitive ethanol/watersorption by silicalite particles made according to the presentinvention. Y_(ethanol) is the mole fraction of ethanol in a vapor-phaseethanol/water mixture, Z_(ethanol) is the mole fraction of ethanol inthe adsorbed phase, and X_(ethanol) is the mole fraction of ethanol in aliquid-phase ethanol/water mixture.

FIG. 13 shows a plot of ethanol/water selectivity.

FIG. 14 shows a system incorporating a photobioreactor and a monolithsorbent reactor comprising silicalite particles made according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 shows a system incorporating a photobioreactor and a monolithsorbent reactor of silicalite particles made according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 16 shows operation of a monolith sorbent reactor comprisingsilicalite particles made according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the term “silicalite” means a polymorph of silica havinga zeolite structure, but with no aluminum content detectable byenergy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy conducted using, for example,Oxford Instruments EDS analysis or similar suitable instrument.

As used herein, the term “silica” means silicon dioxide, a chemicalcompound that is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO₂.

As used herein, the term “zeolite” means a microporous, aluminosilicatemineral commonly used as a commercial adsorbent.

As used herein, the term “microporous” means a material containing poreswith diameters less than 0.002 microns, such as zeolites andmetal-organic frameworks.

As used herein, the term “mesoporous” means a material containing poreswith diameters between 0.002 and 0.050 microns.

As used herein, the term “aluminosilicate mineral” means a mineralcomposed of aluminium, silicon, and oxygen, plus countercations.

As used herein, the term “silicate” means a compound containing ananionic silicon compound.

As used herein, the term “mineral” means a naturally occurring substancethat is solid and stable at room temperature, representable by achemical formula, usually abiogenic, and has an ordered atomicstructure.

As used herein, the term “abiogenic” means lacking carbon and hydrogenatoms.

As used herein, the term “sorbent” means a material used to absorb oradsorb liquids or gases.

As used herein, the term “adsorbent” means a material on which atoms,ions or molecules of a gas, liquid or dissolved solid can adhere.

As used herein, the term “MFI” means mordenite framework inverted.

As used herein, the term “mordenite” means a zeolite mineral with thechemical formula, (Ca, Na₂, K₂)Al₂Si₁₀O₂₄.7H₂O.

As used herein, the term “framework inverted” means a topology that isdefined by the negative space, interstitial space or pore space, ofanother zeolite topology.

As used herein, the term “particle” means a solid material whoseconstituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an ordered patternextending in the a, b and c spatial dimensions, as illustrated in FIG.2( f).

As used herein, the term “F-MFI” means MFI crystalline zeolites formedfrom fluoride-containing silicate gels.

As used herein, the term “defect-free” means amorphous defects less thanabout 0.1% as measured by X-ray diffraction conducted using, forexample, a PANalytical X'Pert PRO Materials Research Diffractometer orsimilar suitable instrument; metal center defects less than about 0.001%as measured by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy conducted using, forexample, Oxford Instruments EDS analysis or similar suitable instrument;and silanol defects measured by water loading at unit activity of lessthan about 0.98 for a material with pore volume greater than about 0.15cubic centimeters per gram, the measure of which is equivalent to lessthan about 0.1 silanol defects per unit cell of a MFI particle.

As used herein, the term “fiber” means a slender, elongated, threadlikeobject or structure.

As used herein, the term “monolith sorbent reactor” means inorganic rodsor cylinders having surfaces coated with a sorbent, or alternativelyhoney-comb inorganic structures having inner surfaces coated with asorbent.

As used herein, the term “interstice” means an empty space or gapbetween spaces full of structure or matter.

As used herein, the term “selectivity” means the ability of a sorbent todiscriminate between an isolate in a mixture and the other components ofthe mixture and to retain the isolate exclusive of the other mixturecomponents. Selectivity is a function of the chemical structure of theisolate, the properties of the sorbent, and the composition of themixture, with maximum selectivity achieved when a sorbent is chosen thatinteracts through isolate functional groups that are not common to othermixture components.

As used herein, the term “isolate” means a chemical species or productof interest that is separated by a sorbent from a mixture.

As used herein, the term “water uptake” means water sorbed within amicroporous material under exposure to water at certain relativepressures and temperatures.

As used herein, the term “non-wetting” means, in reference to a porousmaterial exposed to 100% relative humidity water vapor or liquid waterat 1 bar, the absence of liquid water in the pores.

As used herein, the term “hydrophobic” means uptake by a microporousmaterial of less than 0.5 mmol/g water at 100% relative humidity waterand 35° C.

As used herein, the term “space velocity” means the quotient of theentering volumetric flow rate of reactants divided by the reactor orcatalyst bed volume, which indicates the number of reactor volumes offeed that can be treated in a unit time.

As used herein, the term “gel” means a substantially dilute cross-linkedsystem present as a solid, jelly-like material that exhibits no flowwhen in steady-state.

As used herein, the term “homogeneous” means substances and mixturesthat are in a single phase.

As used herein, the term “amorphous” means lacking the ordercharacteristic of a crystal or micro-crystalline substance.

As used herein, the term “colloid” means a substance microscopicallydispersed throughout another substance.

As used herein, the term “vacuum filtration” means a technique forseparating a solid product from a solvent or liquid reaction mixture inwhich the mixture of solid and liquid is poured through a filter in,most commonly, a funnel.

As used herein, the term “sonication” means applying sound energy toagitate particles in a sample in order to initiate crystallizationprocesses, control polymorphic crystallizations, and/or intervene inanti-solvent precipitations (crystallization) to aid mixing and isolatesmall crystals.

As used herein, the term “centrifugation” means the use of centrifugalforce for the sedimentation of mixtures with a centrifuge.

As used herein, the term “decantation” means a process for theseparation of mixtures, by removing a top layer of liquid from which aprecipitate has settled.

As used herein, the term “drying” means a mass transfer processconsisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporationfrom a solid, semi-solid or liquid.

As used herein, the term “calcination” means a thermal treatment processin presence of air applied to ores and other solid materials to bringabout a thermal decomposition, phase transition, or removal of avolatile fraction.

As used herein, the term “ball-milling” means grinding materials intopowder.

As used herein, the term “monoclinic” means a crystal described by threevectors of unequal length forming a rectangular prism with aparallelogram as its base, such that two pairs of vectors areperpendicular, while the third pair makes an angle other than 90°.

As used herein, the term “orthorhombic” means a crystal described bythree vectors that remain mutually orthogonal to form a rectangularprism with a rectangular base and height, such that the length, widthand height are distinct.

As used herein, the term “unit cell” means the space enclosed by thepoints of a lattice defining a crystal structure and is the simplestrepeating unit that defines the crystal structure. The unit cell isspecified by three vectors, a, b and c that form the edges of aparallelepiped. The lengths of a, b and c are called the unit celldimensions, and their directions define the major crystallographic axes.

As used herein, the term “b-dimension” is illustrated in FIG. 2( f) andis the smallest in magnitude of the a (width), b (height) and c (length)spatial dimensions of a silicalite particle of the present invention.

As used herein, the term “pore volume” means a measure of void spaces ina porous material. Pore volume of materials such as silicalite andzeolites is commonly measured on the basis of nitrogen absorptioncapacity of the material at low temperature and high pressure. Morespecifically, pore volume can be determined using nitrogen as a probegas at 77 K via, for example, a Micrometrics ASAP 2020 adsorptionporosimeter or similar suitable instrument equipped with analysisfunctions for estimating BET pore volumes by the Horvath-Kawazoe method.

As used herein, the term “about” means approximately, in the region of,roughly, or around. When the term “about” is used in conjunction with anumerical value or range, it modifies that value or range by extendingthe boundaries above and below the numerical value(s) set forth. Ingeneral, the term “about” is used herein to modify a numerical value(s)above and below the stated value(s) within a confidence interval of 90%or 95%.

The present invention relates to improved silicalite particles havingdecreased water uptake, methods for making the improved silicaliteparticles, systems for separating ethanol from water comprising theimproved silicalite particles and methods for separating ethanol fromwater using the improved silicalite particles. These and other aspectsof the present invention significantly reduce energy consumption, andoperating costs related thereto, vis-a-vis current ethanol/waterseparation processes.

Silicalite particles of the present invention are made from a mixture oftetrapropylammonium bromide and ammonium fluoride dissolved in water, towhich amorphous, colloidal silicon dioxide is added, resulting in theformation of a homogeneous gel. The homogeneous gel is heated to producethe silicalite particles.

According to the present invention, the size and morphology of thesilicalite particles can be altered by, in various embodiments,dispersing silicalite seeds in the mixture of tetrapropylammoniumbromide and ammonium fluoride in order to impose structure on theformation of the homogenous gel, aging the homogenous gel beforeheating, and/or varying the duration of heating of the homogenous gel.

In some embodiments, silicalite particles of the present invention havea mean height, b, of about 0.2 microns to about 40 microns. In someembodiments, silicalite particles of the present invention have a meanheight, b, of about 0.2 microns to about 10 microns. In someembodiments, silicalite particles of the present invention have a meanaspect ratio of about 5 to about 20. In some embodiments, silicaliteparticles of the present invention have a mean aspect ratio of about 5to about 14.

According to the present invention, silicalite particles of the presentinvention are distinguishable from sorbents known in the art using, insome embodiments, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-rayspectroscopy and ²⁹Si MAS NMR to show the absence of amorphous defects,metal center defects and silanol defects, respectively, in silicaliteparticles of the present invention and the presence of such defects insorbents known in the art. Silicalite particles of the present inventionare also distinguishable from sorbents known in the art by their lack ofdefect-related water absorption and their unexpectedly largeethanol/water selectivities.

Silicalite particles of the present invention provide decreased wateruptake and increased selectivity for ethanol over water, andcorresponding improved energy efficiency of separation processesutilizing sorbents comprising silicalite particles of the presentinvention, in comparison with silicalite particles known in the art. Asshown in FIGS. 9 and 10, water uptake by silicalite particles of thepresent invention unexpectedly decreases with decreasing particle size.Without wishing to be bound by theory, smaller silicalite particles ofthe present invention may have more predominantly monoclinic unit cellsand fewer orthorhombic unit cells that create mesoporous fissures at theinterfaces between monoclinic and orthorhombic unit cells in comparisonwith larger silicalite particles. According to the present invention,the mesoporous fissures permit capillary condensation of water insilicalite particles, thereby increasing water uptake by the particles,and are present in higher concentrations in larger silicalite particles.

FIG. 1 shows a comparison of water uptake between silicalite particlesmade according to the present invention, specifically silicaliteparticles of Sample I described below, and selected silicalite particlesknown in the art, with silicalite particles made according to thepresent invention consistently showing decreased water uptake. In someembodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, water uptake of silicalite particles ofthe present invention is about 0.20 mmol per gram or less at an activityof 0.98 and 35° C.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, selectivity of silicaliteparticles of the present invention for ethanol over water is about 190at an ethanol mole fraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phase ethanol/watermixture.

Low water uptake and high ethanol/water selectivity provided bysilicalite particles of the present invention advantageously increasethe efficiency and concomitantly reduce the energy requirements ofseparating ethanol from water. An adsorption process using silicaliteparticles of the present invention reduces the energy consumed in theprocess of separating ethanol from water by shifting the thermal energyrequirement driving the separation from the heat of vaporization ofwater, which has a value known the art of about 2,260 kJ/kg, to the heatof sorption of ethanol, which has a value known the art of about 845kJ/kg. Shifting the thermal energy requirement to ethanol, which isdilute at concentrations of about 1 wgt % or less in aqueous liquid orvapor streams of interest in the present invention, reduces energyrequirements relative to traditional distillation techniques, since suchtechniques are directed to vaporization of water from a stream thatcontains primarily water. An approach utilizing silicalite particles ofthe present invention therefore is directed to a component of an aqueousstream that has a lower heat of vaporization and is present in smalleramounts in the dilute stream, thereby deleveraging the energyrequirements for separating the components.

A gas delivery system can advantageously be paired with a system thatuses silicalite particles of the present invention to recover ethanolfrom a dilute stream. In some embodiments, after the silicaliteparticles are washed with a mixture of ethanol and water in liquid orvapor form and the silicalite particles adsorb ethanol from the mixture,the silicalite particles subsequently are washed with carbon dioxide asa sweep gas and heated to a preselected temperature in a desorptionstep, during which ethanol desorbs from the silicalite particles intothe carbon dioxide. The desorbed ethanol can then, for example, becondensed to a liquid product, optionally after passing through anethanol dehydration membrane. Excess carbon dioxide from the gasdelivery system can be sent to a photobioreactor containing an algaeculture that requires carbon as a feedstock.

After desorption, the silicalite particles are washed with water, andcarbon dioxide partitions into the water as dissolved carbon. The carbondioxide-enriched aqueous stream can be sent to the photobioreactor forconsumption by the algae culture as a carbon feedstock.

Silicalite particles of the present invention can be bound into asorbent having a hollow fiber form using a hydrophobic, polymer binderin a spinning process and incorporated in a monolith sorbent reactorthat is used in the ethanol/water processes described herein. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that using the sorbent in thisform will help reduce pressure losses as liquid and vapor streams arepumped through the fiber bed, which will reduce costs associated withpumping the streams.

A fiber sorbent bed of the present invention can be used to treat eitherliquid or vapor streams leaving a photobioreactor, or, for example,leaving a scrubber or other process operations used to capture ethanolproduct from the photobioreactor.

Example 1

Silicalite particles identified as Samples I-V were synthesized byfluoride-mediated reaction routes with varying reaction conditions toachieve varying particle dimensions. Reagent quantities and otherparameters for Samples I-V are specified in Table 1.

Reaction Routes:

1. For Sample I, disperse silica seed particles in deionized water in apolytetrafluoroethylene container using a sonication horn operated forthree bursts of 30 seconds per burst.

2. For Samples I-V, dissolve tetrapropylammonium bromide (“TPABr”; 99%Sigma Aldrich) and ammonium fluoride (“NH₄F”; >99.99% Sigma Aldrich) inthe deionized water in the polytetrafluoroethylene container, coveredand stirred for 10 minutes at room temperature.

3. For Samples I-V, add Cab-O-Sil® M-5 (untreated fumed silica; CabotCorporation) to the mixture, stirring manually for 10 minutes to form ahomogeneous gel.

4. For Sample III, age the gel covered with Parafilm using an automatedimpeller.

5. For Samples I-V, seal the gel in a polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve ina stainless steel Parr reactor and react the gel in an oven preheated to180° C.

6. For Samples I-V, cool the resulting solids for about 8 hours.

7. For Samples I-V, vacuum filter the resulting solids and wash with atleast 200 mL of deionized water.

8. For Samples I-V, add 30 mL of deionized water to the solids andsonicate for 90 seconds to remove any un-reacted silica.

9. For Samples I-V, centrifuge the slurry and decant off the water.

10. For Samples I-V, repeat steps 8 and 9 at least twice.

11. For Samples I-V, dry the solids at 110° C. under vacuum.

12. For Samples I-V, calcine the solids according to the followingprofile: increase 5° C./min from 25° C. to 120° C., hold 120° C. for 2hrs, ramp 5° C./min to 550° C., hold 550° C. for 12 hrs.

Silicalite seed particles used in step 1 above for Sample I were madeaccording to the reaction route for Sample IV and were ball milled inabout 1 mL of deionized water for 5 min in a Spex 8000M Mixer/Mill®using a hardened steel grinding vial with two 0.5 inch steel balls.

TABLE 1 Reac- DI Cab-O- Aging tion Sam- water Seeds TPABr NH₄F Sil timetime Yield ple (g) (g) (g) (g) (g) (hours) (days) (g) I 13.44 25 0.810.059 2.24 0 4 1.748 II 13.44 0 0.81 0.059 2.24 0 4 0.828 III 13.44 00.81 0.059 2.24 20 14 1.38 IV 13.44 0 0.81 0.059 2.24 0 14 1.7 V 13.44 00.608 0.059 2.24 0 14 1.4

Example 2

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the particlesize and morphology of Samples I-V. The samples were sputter-coated witha 10-20 nm thick gold coating (Model P-S1; ISI, Mountain View, Calif.),and transferred to a high-resolution field emission scanning electronmicroscope (Leo 1530, Leo Electron Microscopy, Cambridge, UK).

As shown in FIG. 2, each Sample exhibited coffin-shaped morphology.Measurements of a, b and c dimensions in Table 2 are averages.

TABLE 2 FIG. 2 Aspect Sample image a (μm) b (μm) c (μm) Ratio I (a) 1.50.4 9.0 13 II (b) 15 3.0 50 11 III (c) 15 10 55 3.5 IV (d) 30 20 80 2.8V (e) 35 30 120 2.6

Aspect Ratio=(a+c)+2b.

Example 3

X-ray diffraction was conducted on the silicalite particles of SamplesI-V to identify MFI topology and to investigate the particles' latticesystems. Powder x-ray diffraction was performed at room temperature onan X'Pert Pro PAnalytical X-ray Diffractometer using Cu—Kα radiation.Measurements were carried out from 5-40° 2θ, using an X'celeratordetector with low-background sample holders.

X-ray diffraction patterns shown in FIG. 3 confirmed that Samples I-Vwere crystalline with a MFI-type framework topology. Doublet diffractionpeaks observed between 24.3-24.6° 2θ for monoclinic MFI-type crystalsweakened in intensity from the smallest Sample I particles to thelargest Sample V particles, for which only trace peaks of the monoclinicphase were observed. Triplet diffraction peaks associated withmonoclinic symmetry observed between 23.0-23.4° and 23.6-24.0° 2θ weremore defined for the smaller particles, such as Sample I, indicatingthat smaller particles were predominately monoclinic phase, while thelarger particles were increasingly orthorhombic phase.

Example 4

²⁹Si MAS NMR measurements of Samples I, II, IV and V were performed on aBSX300 spectrometer operating at 59.64 MHz with a spinning rate of 5kHz. Spectra were acquired using a 7 mm probe with ZrO₂ rotors and a10-second recycle delay. Chemical shifts were referenced using3-(trimethylsilyl)-1 propanesulfonic acid sodium salt.

The ²⁹Si NMR spectra shown in FIG. 4 for the silicalite particles ofSamples I, II, IV and V exhibited 8 to 10 sharp peaks between −110 and−120 ppm, corresponding to the Q⁴ groups (Si—[(OSi)₄]) and were assignedto 24 distinct crystallographic silicon sites. On each of the spectra,no signal assigned to Q³ silanol defects (≡Si—OH) was observed at −103ppm. The peaks displayed by the silicalite particles of Samples I, II,IV and V indicate very low silanol defect concentrations with nodistinguishable dependence on particle size.

Example 5

Nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms at 77K,Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas and pore volumes (t-plotmethod) were calculated for Samples I-V from N₂ physisorptionmeasurements performed on an ASAP 2020 (Micrometrics). Samples I-V weredegassed at 200° C. for 18 h within the N₂ physisorption apparatus priorto taking measurements. FIG. 5 shows a nitrogen physisorption plotshowing the adsorption and desorption isotherms for Samples I-V.

Example 6

KBr pellets were prepared using equal amounts of Samples I-IV andanalyzed using a Bruker Vertex 80v FT-IR with wavenumbers from 400 to4000 cm⁻¹. FT-IR spectra of Samples I-IV are shown in FIG. 6.

Example 7

Pore size distribution of Samples I, II, IV and V was determined using asimplified Broekoff-de Boer (BdB) pore size analysis method and theFrenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) theory for determining the statisticalthickness of an adsorbed gas layer. As shown in FIG. 7, increasingaverage pore size and distribution correlated to increasing crystalsize. Pore volume increased as particle height or b-dimension increased.As the distribution of pore volumes for a Sample approaches a normaldistribution, as shown in FIG. 7, the percentage of mesopores is greaterthan for a Sample exhibiting a flat distribution of pore volumes. Thepore volumes for silicalite particles of Sample I were below about0.0025 cm³ per gram.

Example 8

Pure vapor adsorption equilibrium experiments were performed on a VTI-SAvapor sorption analyzer from TA Instruments (New Castle, Del., UnitedStates) at 35° C. The vapor activity was controlled automatically bymixing a saturated vapor feed (using N₂ as the carrier gas) with a dryN₂ stream. The sample “dry mass” was measured under N₂ and was atequilibrium before introduction of the vapor to the sample chamber.

FIG. 8 shows isotherms obtained for water uptake by Samples I-V, withlower water uptake correlating with smaller particle size and higheraspect ratio.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show water uptake response to the ratio of particlesurface area to mass at an activity of 0.95. The ratio of particlesurface area to mass increases as particle size decreases. Thecalculated values for water uptake indicate that one of skill in the artwould expect water uptake values to increase as the ratio of particlesurface area to mass increases and particle size decreases, assumingidentical pore volumes and framework chemistry. Instead, measured wateruptake values for silicalite particles of Samples I-V decreased asparticle size decreased.

FIG. 11 shows adsorption and desorption isotherms for Samples I and IV.Desorption for smaller silicalite particles of Sample I occurred atactivities of about 0.8 to about 0.9, while desorption for largersilicalite particles of Sample IV occurred at activities of about 0.4 toabout 0.6, indicating an increase in concentration of mesopore-scaledefects in the silicalite particles correlating with increasing particlesize.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show phase diagrams predicted by ideal adsorbedsolution theory (IAST) for vapor phase ethanol-water mixtures inequilibrium with Sample I and Sample IV. FIGS. 12C and 12D showIAST-predicted phase diagrams for liquid phase ethanol-water mixtures inequilibrium with Sample I and Sample IV. In IAST, adsorbed phases areassumed to behave as ideal solutions, the standard state is assumed tobe the pure adsorbed species at the same temperature and spreadingpressure as that of the mixture, and the presence of two adsorbates in amixed adsorbed phase is assumed not to introduce any non-idealsorbate-sorbate interaction effects. FIGS. 12C and 12D were determinedby assuming that the sorbents are non-wetting when in contact with theliquid mixture.

According to FIGS. 12A and 12B, a vapor feed with an ethanol content of10⁻³ mol/mol is predicted to have an adsorbed phase ethanol mol fractionof 0.23 mol/mol (230× improvement for Sample I, 180× improvement forSample IV). According to FIGS. 12C and 12D, a liquid phase feed with anethanol content of 10⁻³ is predicted to have an adsorbed phase ethanolmol fraction of 0.56 (560× improvement for Sample I, 450× improvementfor Sample IV), such that the ethanol product purity for Sample Iparticles is predicted to be 25% higher than for Sample IV particles.

FIG. 13 shows ethanol selectivity for the silicalite particles ofSamples I and IV, as derived from the IAST predictions of FIGS. 12A-12D.The silicalite particles of Sample I exhibit higher ethanol selectivitythan the silicalite particles of Sample IV, particularly in a range ofethanol mole fractions from about 0.1 to about 0.5 in a vapor-phaseethanol/water mixture.

Example 9

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate prophetic examples of systems incorporating aphotobioreactor and one or more monolith sorbent reactors comprisingsilicalite MFI particles of Sample I, wherein the monolith sorbentreactors are used to recover ethanol product in liquid phase from adilute aqueous feed, such as liquid culture medium or condensate fromthe photobioreactor, or to recover ethanol product from a dilute vaporfeed, such as vapor from the photobioreactor.

FIG. 16 shows the order of operations in the monolith sorbent reactorsduring operation of the system. A liquid mixture of ethanol and waterdrawn from a photobioreactor will be introduced to the monolith sorbentreactor (Step II). Interstitial water in the monolith sorbent reactorwill be displaced by the ethanol/water solution as it moves through themonolith sorbent reactor, thus producing a pure water stream. As ethanolsorbs into the monolith sorbent reactor, the rejected water proceeds outof the monolith sorbent reactor.

At the end of the adsorption step (Step II), the monolith sorbentreactor is then washed with 1-2 reactor volumes of product ethanol (StepIII) to remove the interstitial ethanol/water solution.

After the product wash step (Step III), the monolith sorbent reactor isheated (Step IV), preferably to 70-110° C., in the presence of a gassuch as carbon dioxide. A non-polar gas such as carbon dioxide,nitrogen, argon or helium can be selected for use in this step based onits high partition coefficient with an aqueous solution.

The adsorbed mixture of ethanol and water will desorb from the monolithsorbent reactor into the gas phase. The gas phase comprising ethanol canbe transferred from the monolith sorbent reactor to a condensing unit inorder to condense, capture and further treat the ethanol vapor as aliquid phase product, as shown in FIG. 14. For a 1.5 wt % ethanol feedresulting in a product of 80 wt % ethanol using the system exemplifiedin FIG. 14, a preliminary estimate of energy consumption is 0.08 MJrequired per MJ produced.

Alternatively, the gas phase comprising ethanol can be further refinedto remove water impurities using a high temperature ethanol dehydrationmembrane, for example, as shown in FIG. 15. The configuration shownomits the use of a scrubber between the photobioreactor and the monolithsorbent reactors, as the sorbent of the present invention advantageouslyrejects both water and air. In an alternative configurationincorporating a scrubber between the photobioreactor and the monolithsorbent reactors, the sorbent of the present invention is washed withthe ethanol-enriched stream leaving the scrubber.

The monolith sorbent reactor can then be refilled with an aqueous wash(Step I) in order to “pre-wet” the monolith sorbent reactor inpreparation for the next sorption cycle and prevent bypass of theethanol/water solution in Step II. During this step, gas that was sorbedby the monolith sorbent reactor during the heating step will partitioninto the aqueous wash. A non-polar gas selected for use in the heatingstep will have a high partition coefficient with the aqueous wash.Carbon dioxide that is used in the heating step and subsequentlypartitions into the aqueous wash can be recycled to the photobioreactorfor consumption by cyanobacteria or other microorganisms contained inthe photobioreactor.

Although the present disclosure has been described in considerabledetail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodimentsare possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claimsshould not be limited to the description of the embodiments containedherein, and all changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalents are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A silicalite particle having a mean height ofabout 0.2 microns to about 10 microns, pore volume of less than about0.0025 cm³ per gram, and water uptake of about 0.20 mmol per gram orless at an activity of 0.98 and 35° C.
 2. The silicalite particle ofclaim 1 further having a MFI structure and a mean aspect ratio of about5 to about
 14. 3. The silicalite particle of claim 2 further havingselectivity for ethanol over water of about 190 at an ethanol molefraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phase ethanol/water mixture.
 4. Amethod for making silicalite MFI particles, the method comprising: (a)providing a mixture of tetrapropylammonium bromide and ammonium fluoridedissolved in water; (b) adding amorphous, colloidal silicon dioxide tothe mixture to form a homogeneous gel; and (c) heating the homogeneousgel.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ratios of the quantities oftetrapropylammonium bromide, ammonium fluoride and silicon dioxide areabout 14:1:38.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the homogeneous gel isheated at about 180° C. for about 14 days.
 7. The method of claim 6,further comprising the step of covering and stirring the homogenous gelbefore the step of heating the homogeneous gel.
 8. The method of claim7, wherein the homogeneous gel is covered and stirred for about 20 hoursbefore the homogeneous gel is heated.
 9. The method of claim 5, whereinthe homogeneous gel is heated at about 180° C. for about 4 days.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the mixture of tetrapropylammonium bromideand ammonium fluoride dissolved in water further comprises silicaliteMFI seeds, wherein the silicalite MFI seeds are made according to themethod of claim 5 and are calcined and ball milled.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the ratios of the quantities of silicalite MFI seeds,tetrapropylammonium bromide, ammonium fluoride and silicon dioxide areabout 424:14:1:38.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein silicalite MFIparticles are formed having a mean height of about 0.2 microns to about10 microns, a mean aspect ratio of about 5 to about 14, pore volume ofless than about 0.0025 cm³ per gram, water uptake of about 0.20 mmol pergram or less at an activity of 0.98 and 35° C., and selectivity forethanol over water of about 190 at an ethanol mole fraction of about 0.2in a vapor-phase ethanol/water mixture
 13. A system for separatingethanol from water comprising: (a) silicalite MFI particles having amean height of about 0.2 microns to about 10 microns, a mean aspectratio of about 5 to about 14, pore volume of less than about 0.0025 cm³per gram, water uptake of about 0.20 mmol per gram or less at anactivity of 0.98 and 35° C., and selectivity for ethanol over water ofabout 190 at an ethanol mole fraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phaseethanol/water mixture; (b) a mixture comprising water and ethanol,wherein the sorbent is washed with the mixture; (c) a first liquidcomprising ethanol, wherein the sorbent is washed with the first liquidafter the sorbent is washed with the mixture and wherein the ethanol inthe first liquid does not mix with the mixture disposed in theinterstices of the monolith sorbent reactor; (d) a non-polar gas,wherein the sorbent is washed with the non-polar gas after the sorbentis washed with the first liquid; and (e) steam or a second liquidcomprising water, wherein the sorbent is washed with the steam or secondliquid after the sorbent is washed with the gas and wherein thenon-polar gas dissolves into the steam or second liquid.
 14. The systemof claim 13, wherein the mixture comprises about 1% or less ethanol byweight.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the mixture comprises liquidwater and liquid ethanol.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein themixture comprises water vapor and ethanol vapor.
 17. The system of claim13, wherein the non-polar gas is carbon dioxide and the temperature ofthe non-polar gas is in the range of from about 70° C. to about 110° C.18. The system of claim 17 further comprising a photobioreactorcontaining a culture of photosynthetic microorganisms, wherein carbondioxide that dissolves into the second liquid or steam is recycled tothe photobioreactor.
 19. A method for separating ethanol from water,comprising: (a) washing silicalite MFI particles with a mixturecomprising water and ethanol, the silicalite MFI particles having a meanheight of about 0.2 microns to about 10 microns, a mean aspect ratio ofabout 5 to about 14, pore volume of less than about 0.0025 cm³ per gram,water uptake of about 0.20 mmol per gram or less at an activity of 0.98and 35° C., and selectivity for ethanol over water of about 190 at anethanol mole fraction of about 0.2 in a vapor-phase ethanol/watermixture; (b) washing the silicalite MFI particles with a first liquidcomprising ethanol; (c) washing the silicalite MFI particles with anon-polar gas; and (d) washing the silicalite MFI particles with steamor a second liquid comprising water, wherein the non-polar gas dissolvesinto the steam or second liquid.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein themixture has a temperature of from about 20° C. to about 40° C.
 21. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the sorbent is formed into fibers containedin a monolith sorbent reactor.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein themixture comprises about 1% or less ethanol by weight.
 23. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the mixture comprises liquid water and liquid ethanol.24. The method of claim 19, wherein the mixture comprises water vaporand ethanol vapor.
 25. The method of claim 19, wherein the non-polar gasis carbon dioxide and the temperature of the non-polar gas is in therange of from about 70° C. to about 110° C.